Chad announces its withdrawal from the International Criminal Court, describing it as "politicized".”
Written by: Ayman Ragab
The Republic of Chad announced on Monday its formal withdrawal from the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, in a move it described as a sovereign decision.
The Chadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that it had officially notified the Secretary-General of the United Nations of the decision to withdraw, in accordance with the established treaty procedures.
A politicized and biased tool against the countries of the Global South and Africa.
The Chadian government justified this move by considering the court to be “a politicized and biased tool against the countries of the Global South and Africa,” stressing that its performance is characterized by limited effectiveness and imbalance in dealing with different regions, with a disproportionate focus on African issues.
The Chadian Foreign Ministry explained that the decision came after a comprehensive review of the court’s work since its establishment in 2002, which concluded that it was inefficient, stressing Chad’s intention to rely on its national and regional mechanisms to promote justice and protect human rights.
Under Article 127 of the Rome Statute, a State’s withdrawal does not take effect until one full year has passed since the date on which the United Nations receives the written notification, while Chad remains bound by the investigations and criminal proceedings that began before the withdrawal took effect.
Chad is the fifth country to take this step in recent weeks, after Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso officially deposited their withdrawal documents at the beginning of July.
The Venezuelan government announced last weekend that it had begun formal withdrawal procedures, citing the same justifications related to bias.
This development comes amid internal turmoil at the court in The Hague, following a recent vote by member states to dismiss the court's chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, for misconduct.
